{% include "includes/auth/janrain/signIn_traditional.html" with message='It looks like you are already verified. If you still have trouble signing in, you probably need a new confirmation link email.' %}

A closer look at ‘no-names’ in contention at PGA

There are plenty of big names in the final groups as the PGA Championship heads toward its Sunday evening conclusion. Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Jim Furyk, Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson need no introduction to any serious golf fan.

But mixed in with those are a handful of “Who are those guys?” types. And when one looks at the list of past PGA champions, with names such as Mark Brooks (1996), Rich Beem (2002), Shaun Micheel (2003) and Y.E. Yang (2009), it would hardly be unprecedented if a player without a lot of fanfare wound up hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy.

So here are the back stories of a few of the lesser-known contenders with their scores, and Saturday tee times in parentheses:

Joost Luiten, 5-under (2:10) _ A native of Holland and a regular on the European Tour, Luiten, 28, is playing in his third straight PGA Championship, having finished 21st in 2012 and missed the cut last year. Ranked No. 47 in the world, he finished third in the Lyoness Open in France last week, an event he won last year. He also won the KLM Open in 2013 in his native Holland, beating Miguel Angel Jiminez in a playoff, and Iskandar Johor Open on the Asian Tour in 2013. The 5-foot-10, 154-pounder is single and his interests outside golf include ping-pong, cycling, skiing and following European soccer.

Graham DeLaet, 5-under (2:20) _ Those who follow the Presidents Cup should remember this Canadian played well for the International team against the U.S. last fall, teaming with Day to go 2-1-1 in doubles matches before losing his singles match to Jordan Spieth 1-down. DeLaet had five straight top-10 finishes on the West Coast this year including back-to-back seconds at Torrey Pines and Phoenix. A Boise State graduate who joined the PGA Tour in 2010, DeLaet has yet to win but has made more than $5 million the last two years alone.

Bernd Wiesberger, 6-under (2:30) _ Being paired with Mickelson today means Wiesberger (pronounced Weese-berg-ur) is likely to get more scrutiny than any Austrian golfer in history. A native of Vienna, the 28-year-old has won twice on the European Tour, with both wins coming in 2012, and edged Ernie Els by one shot in the Indonesian Masters last year. This is his third PGA but first made cut. His best finish on the European Tour this year was a second at last week’s Lyoness Open. He broke his collarbone in a skiing accident in 2003.

Mikko Ilonen, 7-under (2:40) ­_ Rickie Fowler’s playing partner in the third round is a 34-year-old native of Finland who has played his best golf the past two years. After missing the cut in his first three U.S. events _ the 2001 Masters and 2010 and 2012 U.S. Opens _ he placed 65th in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last year. A former British Amateur champion, he’s won four European Tour events, including Stockholm last year and the Irish Open in June. His largest PGA Tour paycheck to date was $91,194 for finishing ninth in the 2001 British Open.

Ryan Palmer, 7-under (2:50) _ The only American on this list has a famous surname but, no, he’s not related to Arnold. A member of the PGA Tour since 2003, Palmer, 37, has won three times in nearly 300 times out, most recently taking the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2010. Palmer carded seven birdies against one bogey in Round 1 to share the first-round lead, then finished birdie-birdie for a 1-under finish in Round 2. A native of Amarillo, Texas, he’s close friends with New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton. He’ll be paired with Fowler in the next-to-last group.